Sheriff: 1 Dead, 13 Injured in Shooting at Vigil in Texas

Sheriff: 1 Dead, 13 Injured in Shooting at Vigil in Texas
A police car in this file photo. (Illustration- ArtOlympic/Shutterstock)
The Associated Press
12/13/2021
Updated:
12/13/2021

BAYTOWN, Texas—One person was killed and at least 13 others were injured Sunday evening in a drive-by shooting during a candlelight vigil near Houston, a sheriff said.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the shooting happened around 6:40 p.m. when about 50 people were gathered for a celebration of life in Baytown, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Houston.

“Right as they were releasing the balloons up into the air was when the vehicle came,” he said. “Almost at that exact time is when they opened fire into a crowd.”

Three of the wounded were taken to hospitals by helicopter, Gonzalez said. One of the injured was believed to be a young child, he said.

Officers were later called to the medical center in Baytown where some of the wounded were taken because a “disturbance” erupted there, Gonzalez said.

Authorities did not immediately provide a description of the shooting suspect, and no arrests were announced.